Farmington River Regional School Committee agrees to a new apportionment method for Otis and Sandisfield (2025)

OTIS— After almost two years of debate,the Farmington River Regional School may be able to stay intact— if town voters agree to the new formula for funding the two-town district, that is.

In two unanimous votes, the Farmington River Regional School Committee on Monday approved a slew of amendments to its regional agreement and a new apportionment method that will shift the funding burden from Sandisfield to Otis.

The school committee also approved adding language that specifies what steps are needed should a town withdraw— thereby dissolving the district.

The vote comes almost a month past the deadline set by the Sandisfield Select Boardfor the district to propose a different way to more fairly balance the tax burden. Otherwise, the board said, it would take steps to withdraw.

The structure of thepre-kindergarten through 12th grade district came under fire by voters in Sandisfield in 2022. Sandisfield is paying more than the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education says it can afford toward the school district, while Otis, the wealthier of the two towns, is paying far less.

Sandisfield residents on Nov. 17, 2022, voted to request terms and conditions by which the town could withdraw.

The newapportionment method uses different metrics that will shift the funding burden from Sandisfield toward Otis for transportation, capital and all other costs borne by the two towns, called the adjusted operating budget.

Denise Hardie, school committee chair, said she's incredibly proud of the work of the school committee.

"The level of cooperation, of collaboration, the members of the committee from the two towns, and compromise really finally led us to finding a model for apportionment that made sense and that addressed the financial disparities between the two towns in a way that we think is responsible and can maintain our district into the future," Hardie said. "We really believe we have a good school and it's best for the kids in both towns."

Even after Monday’s vote, the process is far from over, with more layers of review and approval— by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, its lawyers, by both Otis and Sandisfield voters at town meetings and, finally, by the commissioner of the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Superintendent Timothy Lee hopes that the initial state reviews can take place soon enough so that the towns can schedule town meetings by mid-November to vote on the amended document, but he’s uncertain how long these reviews will take.

The district’s budget is just over $5 million. The district has about 240 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, with about 60 percent, or about 145, from Otis and about 40 percent, or about 95, from Sandisfield.

If the new apportionment method were applied to the current fiscal year's budget,Otis would pay a little more than $2.7 million, whereas Sandisfield would pay a little more than $1.25 million, representing a shift of $324,137 from Sandisfield to Otis.

Lee said the school committee was looking to other two-town districts when considering how to split the burden fairly.

He credited the work of School Committee members Carl Nett of Sandisfield and Stacey Schultze of Otis, who proposed the apportionment method at an August school committee meeting.

Lee said on Tuesday that he had heard from a few people who were grateful that the school committee tackled this issue.

The next task for the school committee is to embark on its own version of public education regarding the amendments and apportionment method.

Lee expects that school committee members will make presentations to both Sandisfield and Otis select boards and hold a public hearing.

“It’s been a very thorough process,” he said. “It’s definitely had its ups and downs. I’ve personally learned a lot. I’m left with a lot of respect for our school committee, who worked through some real separation of opinion to find some consensus and really stuck it out.”